{
  "abstract": "To validate whether serum levels of absent in melanoma 2 (AIM2) and caspase-5 can serve as early combined biomarkers of unfavorable prognosis in children with lobar pneumonia. From February 2022 to June 2025, 475 children aged 1-14 years with first-episode lobar pneumonia were prospectively enrolled at Hebei Children's Hospital. Patients were divided into a favorable-prognosis group (n = 395) and an unfavorable-prognosis group (n = 80) based on treatment outcomes assessed during outpatient follow-up visits conducted 4-6 weeks after discharge. Fasting venous blood was drawn within 24 h of admission, and levels of AIM2 and caspase-5 were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Co-infection, symptom duration, antibiotic duration, hospital stay, C-reactive protein (CRP), procalcitonin (PCT), and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) were recorded. Prognostic associations were examined using Pearson correlation, multivariable logistic regression, and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis. Multicollinearity was assessed; a tolerance > 0.1 and a variance inflation factor (VIF) < 10 were considered acceptable. Serum AIM2 and caspase-5 levels were significantly higher in the unfavorable-prognosis group than in the favorable-prognosis group (both P < 0.001), and the two markers were positively correlated (r = 0.241, P < 0.001). Multivariable analysis identified co-infection and elevated levels of CRP, PCT, AIM2, and caspase-5 as independent risk factors for unfavorable prognosis. The VIF ranged from 1.047 to 1.131, indicating no multicollinearity. The combination of AIM2 and caspase-5 yielded an AUC of 0.839 (95% CI 0.798-0.879) for predicting unfavorable prognosis, with a sensitivity of 75.70% and a specificity of 78.75%, which was significantly superior to either biomarker alone (DeLong test: Z = -4.248, P < 0.001; Z = -2.998, P = 0.003). Nested model analysis demonstrated that adding AIM2 and caspase-5 to conventional variables (co-infection, CRP, PCT, and LDH) improved the AUC from 0.855 to 0.893 (DeLong test P = 0.047), indicating significant incremental predictive value. Elevated serum AIM2 and caspase-5 are independent risk factors for unfavorable prognosis in children with lobar pneumonia. Their combination shows favorable predictive performance and may help identify high-risk children early.",
  "abstract_shown": true,
  "affiliations": [
    "Respiratory Department II, Hebei Children's Hospital, Shijiazhuang, Hebei, China.",
    "Respiratory Department III, Hebei Children's Hospital, Shijiazhuang, Hebei, China.",
    "Department of Pediatrics Ward 1, Shexian Hospital, Handan, China."
  ],
  "article_type": "research article",
  "arxiv": null,
  "author_total": 7,
  "authors": [
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Linlin Liu"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        1
      ],
      "name": "Xiaoxue Qi"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        2
      ],
      "name": "Liping Zhang"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        2
      ],
      "name": "Jianfang Jiang"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Wenshan Lyu"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Yuxiao Hu"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Peiqing Huo"
    }
  ],
  "bibtex": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/8sjb5e4k39g35.bib",
  "cited_by": 0,
  "doi": "10.3389/fped.2026.1907114",
  "fulltext_url": "https://europepmc.org/articles/PMC13713686",
  "id": "8sjb5e4k39g35",
  "issns": [
    "2296-2360"
  ],
  "landing_url": "https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42952765",
  "language": "eng",
  "licence": "CC-BY",
  "licence_label": "CC BY",
  "licence_source": "article",
  "licence_url": "https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/",
  "metadata_licence": null,
  "native_subjects": [
    [
      "heading",
      "Original Research"
    ],
    [
      "openalex",
      "2713|Pneumonia and Respiratory Infections"
    ]
  ],
  "openalex": "W7221773016",
  "pdf_url": "https://europepmc.org/articles/PMC13713686?pdf=render",
  "pmcid": "PMC13713686",
  "pmid": "42952765",
  "published": "2026-10-14",
  "publisher": "Frontiers Media SA",
  "ris": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/8sjb5e4k39g35.ris",
  "sources": [
    {
      "first_seen": "2026-10-31T00:20:41Z",
      "native_id": "MED:42952765",
      "source": "europepmc",
      "url": "https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42952765"
    },
    {
      "first_seen": "2026-10-31T12:24:11Z",
      "native_id": "PMC13713686",
      "source": "pmc",
      "url": "https://doi.org/10.3389/fped.2026.1907114"
    }
  ],
  "subjects": [
    {
      "field": "medicine",
      "origin": "openalex:2713|Pneumonia and Respiratory Infections",
      "subfield": "epidemiology-public-health"
    }
  ],
  "title": "Combination of serum AIM2 and caspase-5 as a predictor of unfavorable prognosis in children with lobar pneumonia: a prospective cohort study.",
  "title_text": "Combination of serum AIM2 and caspase-5 as a predictor of unfavorable prognosis in children with lobar pneumonia: a prospective cohort study.",
  "type": "peer-reviewed",
  "updated_at": "2026-11-01T12:21:19Z",
  "url": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/8sjb5e4k39g35",
  "venue": "Frontiers in pediatrics",
  "versions": []
}